The first thing that went through Shayera's mind when she woke up was along the lines of Where was I? Right, Doctor Molina, my psychiatrist's office.
The second thing was around the lines of so the cookies did taste funny...
The third thing she thought was where am I?
As it turned out, she was in a confined space.
Not good.
Without her comm.
Not good.
Next to a screen, a small camera, a microphone and a speaker.
A bit better.
In a confined space.
Not good!
In a confined space where she could barely move, let alone force her way out of.
Not good. Panic. You should panic.
Her mind didn't put this in so many words, of course, but the fact was she knew her claustrophobia was very much about to kick in.
The screen turned on.
"Why, hello, Hawk Girl."
"Doctor Molina..." - She said - "Why?"
The forty-something-year-old Hispanic woman's face looked pensive for a moment.
"Wow." - She said, at last, sarcasm dripping through each word - "I can't, for the life of me, begin to imagine why would anyone on planet Earth be holding a grudge against you!"
"...the invasion." - Said Shayera.
"The invasion, Hawk Girl, yes, the invasion." - was the doctor's answer - "Really, I'm one lucky woman. Who would have thought you'd pick me out of all psychiatrists with any knowledge about superbeings to help you with your many, many issues?"
"You were the only one that would accept to treat me after that." - Said Shayera, evenly. It was one thing to panic in the face of her phobia, but she never panicked in the face of an enemy.
"And now you know why." - Said Molina, jovially - "Tell me something. What do you know about me? Like, where I come from."
Keep her talking. Anything to keep her here, an enemy to focus on beats the cramped dark space...
"Uh... Latin America?" - Was Shayera's response.
"Guatemala, more specifically. Now. What do you know about Latin America?" - Asked Molina.
"Uh... Fire is from there... She sometimes butted heads with Captain Atom over... Some coup in 1964?" - Said Shayera.
"That would likely be Brazil, yes." - Said Molina - "It did happen all over Latin America, though, with US support, no less. Including Guatemala. I was lucky, though. Some years in, I fled my country with my brothers and we got here." - Molina's tone became more and more informal - "I proceeded to work my ass off to get a visa and a Green Card, to stay here legally, I studied psychiatry precisely so I could make sure to stay somewhere that would never, ever be a goddamned military dictatorship. And what do you do? You proceed to bring one right to the entire world. That's what you do..."
"I made your worst fear come true." - Said Shayera, softly - "I..."
"If saying you're sorry were enough, would I have gone through the trouble of kidnapping my patient? You see, there's only one way I can regain my dignity after you brought about a military dictatorship I could not escape from and got nothing as punishment for it, Hawk Girl." - Said Molina.
"An eye for an eye." - Said Shayera - "I see. However, you know that I paid a steep price and that I had no good choices..."
"You see, that's the trouble! I don't have to care! No one on Earth does! That's the point, now, isn't it? You lost your right to our pity the moment you decided to help your people oppress us! Their reasons don't have to matter to us! You know as much!" - Shouted Molina - "And regarding prices, please! Even in America, traitors are executed! You lost your boyfriend and you pissed off your friends! That's nothing compared to what you put billions of people through!"
Shayera nodded.
"Anything else?" - She asked, finally.
"You told me about when you met your former compatriots on that trap they set up for you! Oh, I delighted in listening to you go on and on about Kragger losing his mind. I'm elated he spent so long as a lobotomized shell of a man! I wish the Gondarians had managed to recapture Hro Talak so he'd be tortured some more! I'm so glad your planet is now occupied! I hope the Gordanians spend the rest of eternity with their boots firmly planted on the face of your goddamned race, Hawkgirl, FOREVER, because that's what it deserves! Now, I won't kill you, and I'm pretty sure you won't kill me when this is over. I just need you to sit tight and take what you put me through! Don't worry, there's a wicket I'll be giving you food and water through." - Said Molina - "Oh, and, if you want revenge for this, well, you can go to the Gordanians and kill as many of them as you see fit, right? Because, you know, if it isn't your fault because you needed to do this, it isn't my fault because you started it. You'd get killed in the process, too, so win-win for the universe. See you."
"NO! WAIT!" - Shayera shouted.
To the dead screen.
At first, Shayera shouted some more.
Then, she screamed.
# - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - # - #
Shayera had no idea how long it took, but the screen lit up again.
"Hey, Hawk Girl! We've got company!" - Was the cheerful voice of Doctor Molina.
She moved aside and Shayera saw none other than Batman.
"Now, Batman, do tell her what I told you..." - Said Molina, offscreen.
"She knows J'onn J'onzz is away from the planet on a mission. And she laced the concrete in which she put you with kryptonite." - Said Batman.
"She mentioned it in the last section. Nice of her, innit?" - Was Molina's response - "And Flash can't phase through that concrete and get you out with enough precision not to make a fine mess, I've been studying. And I have a dead man's handle on a bomb right under the concrete. Bats takes me out, boom you go."
"I... It's okay." - Said Shayera - "I deserve this."
"No one deserves torture." - Said Batman.
"I know I didn't!" - Said Molina - "That sure didn't stop her soldier friends from staging a worldwide coup, now, did it?"
"If you know what happened, then you know it's not that simple." - Said Batman.
"THE VICTIMS DON'T HAVE TO CARE!" - Shouted Molina, suddenly - "THAT'S THE ENTIRE POINT! Oh, it's all so easy for you, right? You stand above us all, above even the law. The governments of the Earth didn't want to press charges against Shayera, oh, no, that might annoy the Justice League into becoming, oh, I don't know, the Justice Lords, right? And so you, Batman, caped crusader with what I'm certain is a bone to pick with any and all criminals, come here and tell me I should do what, exactly? Trust the law? Forgive and forget? Accept that I am and will forever be the goddamned victim here? And before you answer, I want you to understand something: while I can't know what made you into the Batman, I'm almost certain it's not a hobby for you. And I'm also almost certain it's about some trauma. So, please, don't insult my intelligence by telling me about the benefits of forgiveness and of letting go of your past."
"STOP!"
That was Shayera.
Both Batman and Molina appeared on the screen now.
"Enough." - Said Shayera - "If she needs this so bad... Let her have it. And no, we are not pressing charges. I mean it. Turn off the goddamn screen. I'll wait it out. I'm done. I'm done! You win. I'm broken. Okay? You got what you wanted, I'm broken!"
"Okay. Good enough." - Said Doctor Molina, resuming her pleasant demeanor - "I'll have my brothers open up the concrete, just sit tight. I'll even keep the screen open so you can focus on something. We can wait with Bats, have some tea..."
"Fine. You got what you wanted." - Said Shayera - "Just... Don't leave, Batman... And... Keep talking to her."
"Are you happy now? Two people losing their dignity instead of one. That is what you accomplished." - Said Batman.
"I am, yes. But, hey, this must be refreshing for you. At least this time, the psychiatrist villain isn't a psychiopath in a costume, now, isn't it?" - Said Molina, in a tone that couldn't be more faux-pleasant if it tried.
"And you are closer and closer to becoming them." - Said Batman.
"Oh, please. Tetch is a geeky nigh-pedophile with severe self-esteem issues. Crane went through bullying and lashed out at the world for it. And don't get me started on Quinzell! Who sends in the newbie psychietrist to deal with the charismatic psychopath anyways? Arkham is a dump, and you of all people should know it! I have issues, everyone does. But the issues that really push me off the norm? Yeah, those I would not have were it not for Hawk Girl here." - Said Molina - "And this was me solving them. Oh, of course, I'll need years of therapy to deal with the other part, but this was so. Very. Cathartic! Anyways. A dignity for a dignity. And I'm so glad I'll get exactly as much punishment as she got for betraying the entire planet. Well, plus or minus one boyfriend. You don't mind if I leave, do you, Bats?"
"...out." - Said Batman, at last.
Shortly after, two smiling Hispanic men opened Shayera's cage. She walked past them without a word and saw Batman on the other side.
"Are you sure you don't want them arrested?" - Asked Batman.
"A dignity for a dignity." - Said Shayera - "That's what she said. Let it end here. She has a few points. I didn't get arrested, why would she? I can take it up with the Gordanians. They caused this..."
"Will you?" - Asked Batman.
"Would you?" - Asked Shayera, spreading her wings to fly once again over the second world she had, for the second time, sworn to protect.
And that, as driven home today, hated her.